Bakery, an Austin, Texas, independent creative and technology agency, does work for Fortune 500 brands including Diageo, Nike, Audi and Humana as well as startups like iFly. It’s equally proud of its culture of diversity and inclusivity.

Dominican Republic native Micky Ogando, president and chief creative officer, says nearly half of the agency’s 20 employees are female, and 75 percent belong to a minority or multicultural group. It's one of the reasons Bakery was chosen second-best among companies with up to 200 employees in Ad Age Best Places to Work 2020.

Employees are drawn to Bakery because they don’t want to be pigeonholed by their ethnicities, says Ogando.

“It was about being able to target people from different backgrounds, who come from different experiences,” says Ogando, “but don’t want to be exclusively defined by those experiences in the work they do.”

Work-life balance is a priority. The agency offers an unlimited amount of paid time off (starting from the day an employee is hired); ample maternal and paternal leave with a flexible end date and partial paid time off; and “summer skip” days where the team hangs out together. Bakery also does not require or expect employees to respond outside of business hours.

Moreover, it’s forbidden to contact an employee on PTO about work. Employees also get an annual creative stipend to spend on self-improvement. In the past, the agency has paid employees for buying a surfboard, a gym membership and for following Radiohead on tour.